Washboard



J. J; CURR IE.

WASHBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED m9. 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES JOHNSTON GURRAIE, OF BONNINGTON FALLS, BRITISH. COLUMBIA, CANADA.

WASHB CARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Applicationfiled January 9, 1918. Serial NO-' 2113095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES J CURRIE, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Bonnington Falls, in the Province oftheconstruction of washboards so that in the process of washing clothesthey may be readily rubbed upon the soap, obviating the necessity of thesoap being rubbed upon the clothes. e

A further object of this invention is to construct the rubbing surfaceof the board of corrugated or fluted material such as zinc,

metal, glass or the like and the fluting or the corrugations extendingdiagonally from one side of the board to the opposite side and the lowerdownwardly inclined ends terminating into a vertical recess formed inthe side of the board to permit the dirty water to readily drain fromthe corrugations or fluted rubbing surface of the board.

A still further object of this invention is to improve the constructionof washboards and to provide the head thereof with an opening whichconstitutes the soap holding means, whereby cakes of soap may be fittedin the opening and the clothes rubbed over the soap until all of'thesoap is completely used thereby preventing waste inthe throwing away ofthe soap after the same has been worn down as'is now done in rubbing thesoap on the clothes.

A further object of this invention is'to provide a washboard with anovel soap holding means whereby the soap may be prevented fromcontinually slipping into the water, and making it possible to use upthe whole bar of soap, so arranging the soap that the clothes may bereadily rubbedover the soap prior to rubbing them on the washingsurface.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a washboard ofthis character, which will be simple, practical and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, and

one that can be manufactured and sold at a low cost. i

vVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed and set forth in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings' Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved washboardmade in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view,

' F ig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the washboard. i s

Fig. 5 is a perspective view'of the wedgeshaped member, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the guide which receives thewedge-shaped member.

Like numerals of references designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates standards orsupporting members of the washboard and are connected adjacent theirlower ends by the transverse A transverse head brace 7 conbrace 6. nectsthe upper ends of the standards together and mountedbetween the opposingfaces of the members 5 adjacent the upper ends thereof is the board 8which constitutes the soap holder. The board 8 is provided centrallywith a longitudinally ex tending rectangular opening 9 in which the soapis adapted to be positioned."

A rubbing surface 10 is corrugated or fluted as at 11 and it isconstructed of zinc, metal, glass, or any other material suitable forthe purpose. The flutes or corrugations 11 of the rubbing board 10extend diagonally from one standard to the other and at their lower endscommunicate with a vertical groove 12 formed in the inner face of onestandard 5 thereby permitting the water to run down off of thecorrugations or fluted portions 11 of the scrubbing board 10 into thegroove where it may be readily drained into the tub in which thewashboard is positioned.

A plurality of relatively spaced vertically extending retaining wires 13are secured to the front face of the board 8 and span the opening '9These wires limit the soap in its outward movement and position one faceof the soap flush with the highest point of the corrugations 11 whichforms the rubbing surface of the board It canbe seen that it is onlynecessary when the soap is in position to rub the clothes onthe rubbingsurface and pull the same up over the soap in the opening 9 of the soapholder thereby obviating the necessity of rubbing the soap on theclothes as the clothes can be rubbed over the soap by virtue of thisconstruction.

A member 141 is secured to the back of the board adjacent the topthereof This member is wedge-shaped and has an upwardly and outwardlyinclined rear wall 15, the side edges of which are bent at right anglesthereto to provide the flanges 15 and the terminals of the flanges arebent outwardly at right angles to the side flanges to provide attachingmembers 16 The attaching members 16 are secured to the rear surface ofthe board as at 17 and the lower edge of the rear wall 15 terminatesbelow the plane of the bottom wall of the opening 9 and in closeproximity to the rear wall of the washboard rubbing surface 10.

A wedge-shaped member 18 has its side edges bent at right angles theretoand tapered to provide guide flanges 19 so as to permit the wedge-shapedmember to be readily slid in the socket member to cause the wall 18 toengage the rear face of the soap designated A in the drawings to urgethe same outwardly in contact with the wires 13 thereby to arrange theface of the soap against the wires in a plane at the highest point ofthe corrugations or fluted portions 11 of the rubbing surface 10 andreadily permit the clothes to be moved over the surface of the soap whenit is desired to use the same A handle 20 has one end secured to thewall 18 of the wedge-shaped member and extends upwardly beyond the upperedge thereof and facilitates placing of the wedge shaped member in thewedge-shaped socket when the device is in use.

It will be apparent that the slot 9 is of sufficient length to permit ofthe use of two bars of soap arranged therein and that the wall 18 of thesocket member engages the rear surface of the soap and constantly urgesthe same in contact with the wires 13 flush with the surface of thecorrugations or fluted portions 11 of the scrubbing sur face 10 It isonly necessary when the soap has become worn thin and is in the plane ofthe walls of the slot 9 to remove the wedgeshaped member 18 from thesocket member and place new cakes of soap against the rear face of theold cake of soap already in the soap holder, and urge the wedge-shapedmember into the socket receiving member 14, and the new cakes of soapwill urge the original or initial cakes of soap out against thewiresuntil it is all consumed and the new cakes will then be substitutedtherefor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is.

In a washboard, a rubbing member, a board mounted adjacent the upper endthereof and provided with an opening for receiving a cake of soap, Wiresextending vertically across said opening at the side thereof adjacentthe rubbing surface of said rubbing member for limiting movement of acake of soap through the opening, a member mounted at the opposite sideof the board from said wires and secured at its edges to the board atthe side edges of the opening and provided with a downwardly andinwardly inclined outer wall spaced at its upper and lower edges fromthe ad jacent surface of the board, and a wedge member fitting into thesame and provided with end flanges inclined similarly to the inclinationof the outer wall of the member carried by said board, said wedge memberbeing provided with a substantially vertical inner wall for engaging acake of soap placed in said opening so as to exert constant pressurethereon for holding the soap in close contact with said wires.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES JOHNSTON OURRIE.

lVitnesses:

FRED. C. MOFFATT, B. INGRAM.

